Summer in Lishui. Nearly 40oC. Sounds of cicadas coming from every tree. Then you see something interesting. A man with something resembling a fishing rod is staring intensively at the tree. You can’t help but get curious. You get closer. Familiar sound is getting louder but you can’t find the source. And then you see it. A small bag that hangs from the man’s belt. You look closer and see something that might appear in your nightmare this night. The bag is full of cicadas. Why?! You think intensively. The only reasonable answer you can come up with is that the city hired people to catch cicadas because they make too much noise (not kidding about the noise. It seriously can drive people crazy). Quite convinced with your own explanation you’re not bothered anymore by the appearance of the mysterious man. At least until your Chinese friend takes you for lunch.

So here you are passing the mysterious man once again. You’re pretty sure the answer but being diligend you ask your friend to confirm your assumptions. “Why is that man catching cicadas? – We eat them.” You didn’t really see that coming, did you? You think your friend is simply making fun of you. She must be kidding. Well, she’s not and she can prove that. Next thing you know you end up in a shop selling stir-fried cicadas. What can you say about this bugging snack?. 知了zhī​liǎo – stir-fried cicadas. Dish typical for Lishui, considered a local delicacy (quite expensive to it – 160RMB [around 26$]/kg). They remove head and wings of cicada. Than they stir-fry it with salt, soy sauce and spices or hot pepper. Funny thing is that, they don’t remove the legs. They eat it like a snack. How do you eat it? Remove the crust and eat the meat inside. How does it taste? Like chicken (sounds like cliche but it’s true). Meat is delicate, salty and slightly spicy. If you want to try something unusual and have guts to do this, have a try. If it doesn’t suit your taste at least you will have thrilling story to tell your friends later. Bon appetit!